Tubular plant guard with releasable fastener strip

ABSTRACT

A plant guard is formed from a panel of plastics material which is folded into a tubular shape with the adjacent vertical margins of the panel being connected together by a reclosable zip-type fastener which comprises fastener strips. Each strip has a locking profile portion which is adapted to releasably interlock with the locking profile portion of the other strip. The fastener strips are secured to opposite edge portions of the panel by heat welding or by an adhesive.

This invention relates to an improved plant guard useful for theprotection of small plants, especially newly planted small vines, duringthe early stages of their growth.

It is known in the vine growing industry to use an elongate hollow guardwhich can be placed around a vine at the time of its planting in orderto protect it during its early growth period. One such guard isdescribed and illustrated in Australian Patent Specification No 23516/92in the name of Ian McLean and which comprises a panel of flexiblematerial adapted to be formed into a tubular body and releasablyfastened in a tubular condition by means of co-operating tabs and tabengaging slots provided along the vertical edges of the panel which areto be joined together. This allows the guard to be supplied as a blankin a flat unfolded condition and subsequently formed into a tubularshape on site by a folding operation and interlocking the tabs andslots.

It is considered that the design and production of the guard disclosedin the aforesaid prior art reference can be considerably improved fromthe point of view of ease of manufacture and installation procedure. Inparticular, it has been found that the jointing together of the verticalmargins of the guard panel using co-operating tabs and slots isgenerally unsatisfactory in that the tabs, in some circumstances, maydisengage from their slots and also that gaps are created along thejointed ends of the guard panel which provide entry points for chemicalspray, eg herbicides, which can have a deleterious effect on the youngplant.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a plant guardhaving improved fastening means for releasably interlocking adjacentedges of the guard panel when the panel is folded into its tubular shapeon site.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a plant guardhaving an improved fastener device which is of simple construction andwhich allows the guard to be releasably locked in its tubular shapequickly and simply.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a plant guardhaving improved fastening means which is designed, when fastened, toprovide an approximate seal between the jointed vertical edges of theguard.

Broadly according to this invention therefore, an improved plant guardfor protecting a small plant or sapling during its early growth periodcomprises a sheet like panel of flexible material which is adapted to befolded into a tubular shape, said panel having a pair of opposite edgeswhich, when the panel is in its tubular shape, form adjacent verticalmargins, and releasable fastening means for releasably fasteningtogether said vertical margins, said releasable fastening meanscomprising interlockable resilient flexible fastener strips respectivelysecured to and extending along said vertical margins, said fastenerstrips having locking profile ribs which interlock with one another soas to provide a recloseable essentially zip type fastener.

The fastener strips can be formed separately to the panel or may beextruded integrally therewith.

Preferably, each said strip has a pair of flexible spaced apart lockingribs extending continuously along the length thereof, said ribs eachbeing approximately arrow shaped with a central tip and barbs extendinglaterally to each side of the tip.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each said fastener strip hasa first strip portion secured, eg by heat welding, adhesive orstitching, in face to face relation to the inner surface of a marginaledge portion of the panel and a second strip portion which projectsoutwardly from the panel edge and which carries said locking ribs.

Preferably said fastener strips are formed of extruded plastics materialand are of identical configuration.

Preferably the panel is formed from plastics flute material whichconsists of a pair of outer facing layers interconnected by a pluralityof spaced apart short length webs so as to form a series of elongateinternal channels extending along the length of the panel.

Preferably each of the fastener strips is secured by heat welding to aninner surface portion of the guard (when formed in its tubular shape).

In some instances, the base of the guard panel can be provided withoutwardly projecting flap portions each of which is hingedly joined tothe lower end of the guard along a hinge line, the flap portions, inuse, providing a support base which can be buried in the ground.

With the guard of this invention, it has been found that byincorporating a zip type fastener for jointing together the verticalmargins of the panel when folded into its tubular shape, an effectiveseal is provided along the length of the joint which prevents ingress ofany chemical spray which might be sprayed around the plants at variousstages during their initial growth, and helps to retain any water vapourand carbon dioxide which might be present, within the confines of theguard (which of course are important to the growth of the plant).

It has also been found that the recloseable zip type fastener is farmore reliable in operation in that it is far less likely to come apartin the field.

It is a further advantage of the present invention that the plant guardcan be packaged and transported to the consumer in a flat unformedcondition and subsequently formed into its tubular shape by a simplefolding operation and retained in that shape by press fitting thefastener strips together in a very simple operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to further explain the present invention, several preferredembodiments thereof are described hereunder with reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a plant guard in its flat unassembled conditionaccording to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the guard shown in FIG. 1 in its foldedcondition;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the guard shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view showing theinterlocking of the two fastener strips;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan and perspective views respectively of a plantguard produced in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;while

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a plant guard produced in accordancewith a third embodiment and which has a square configuration whenfolded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings, there is shown a plant guard10 produced from a blank 11 of plastic flute board in which is formed apair of lengthwise fold lines which allow the blank 11 to be folded intothe tubular triangular shape shown in FIG. 2. The general shape andconfiguration of the blank 11 is known in the art. The flap 12 providedalong the upper edge of the guard 10 is designed to fold over and locatearound a trellis wire to support the guard in an upright condition,while the cut-away section 13 which tapers downwardly from the upper endof the guard 10 is designed to allow vine shoots or runners from thevine plant (around which the guard 10 is placed) to pass laterallyoutwards from the interior of the guard as the vine plant grows upwardlythrough the guard--rather than having all of the shoots or runnersemerging from the open top end of the guard.

Elongate extruded plastics fastener strips 16, 17 are secured to andextend along the pair of opposite vertical margins 14, 15 of the blank11. Each fastener strip 16, 17 has a locking profile portion 18comprising a pair of spaced apart locking profile ribs 19 extendingcontinuously along the length of the strip 16, 17 and definingtherebetween a continuous locking groove, the locking portions 18 of thestrips 16, 17 being adapted to releasably interlock by engagement of oneof the ribs 19 of one locking portion 18 into the locking groove of thelocking portion 18 of the other strip. The ribs 19 are individuallyresilient flexible, each being arrow shaped with a central tip 21 andbarbs 22 projecting laterally from each side of the tip so that in theinterlocked condition of the fastener strips 16, 17, adjacent ribs 19interlock with one another by virtue of the interlocking engagement oftheir barbs 22.

In this embodiment each of the fastener strips 16, 17 has a firstportion 23 which is secured, eg by heat welding, to an inner surfaceportion of walls 25, 26 of the guard 10 adjacent the vertical edges 14,15, and a second outboard portion 28 which carries the locking profileportion 18. When fastened together, the flexible strips 16, 17 willassume a bent configuration, with the outboard portion 28 being angled,eg at an angle of 30°, to the plane of the first strip portion 23.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second strip portions 28 project outwardlybeyond the adjacent vertical margins 14, 15 of the guard 10 inapproximately parallel relationship. This allows the locking ribs to beconveniently interlocked with a reduced tendency for the lockingportions 18 to come apart during use of the guard.

It should be appreciated that the fastener strips 16, 17 may be securedto outer surfaces of the walls 25, 26 of the guard 10 rather than theinner surfaces thereof, and also that each of the strips 16, 17 can beformed essentially flat but with the locking ribs inclined with respectto the plane of the strip. It is desirable that the fastener strips aresecured to the guard and configured in such a manner that wheninterlocked, the strips are not undesirably tensioned which mightotherwise tend to prise them apart.

In this embodiment, the fastener strips are extruded of plasticsmaterial and can be formed as a one-piece extrusion which can be splitlongitudinally in half so as to form two separate fastening strips.

It should also be appreciated that the plastic fastener strips 16, 17may be attached to vertical margins of the blank 11 by means other thanheat welding, eg stitching or adhesive.

The fastener strips 16, 17 co-operate together to form a zip fastenerdevice which provides an effective seal along the jointed edges of theguard 10. As mentioned previously, this provides an effective barrier(at near ground level) against the entry into the interior of the guardof chemical sprays, eg herbicides, which might have a deleterious effecton the growth of the plant. It also provides the advantage in that anywater vapour and/or carbon dioxide which might be present, is likely tobe retained within the confines of the guard.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings, the guard 30 illustratedtherein is substantially similar to that of the first embodiment in thatit is formed from a blank of flute board of plastics material andprovided with a pair of elongate flexible fastener strips 31, 32 alongopposite vertical edges thereof which are shaped and sized so as tointerlock when press fitted together in order to retain the guard in apolygonal shape. In this embodiment however, the base of the guard 30 isprovided with a plurality of outwardly projecting flaps 33 which arehingedly joined to respective walls of the guard 30 along hinge linesprovided at the bottom of the guard. The flaps 33 form a stable supportbase which can be buried a small distance beneath the surface of theground to thereby render the guard self-supporting. The guard 30, inthis embodiment, has an open upper end 34 which is bordered by turneddown flaps 35 which are joined by fold lines to respective wall panelsof the guard 30.

The interlocking profiles of the locking portions of the fastener strips31, 32 are identical to those described and illustrated in the firstembodiment.

Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings, the plantguard 40 is once again formed from a blank of flute board of plasticsmaterial and comprises fastener strips 41, 42 extending along its freevertical margins. In this instance, the guard is folded into the shapeof a square, rather than triangular, as with the previous embodiments.The upper end of the guard 40 contains a cut-away portion 44 to allowthe emergence of vine runners at a location intermediate the ends of theguard. The locking strips 41, 42 are essentially in accord with thoseshown in FIG. 4.

In the assembly of the guards, a hand tool can be used to facilitate thezip fastening of the locking strips, the tool being arranged to engageand slide downwardly along the projecting portions of the strips andsimultaneously zip same together.

A brief consideration of the above described embodiments will indicatethat the present invention provides a plant guard for protecting smallplants which has a very simple and effective zip type fastener devicefor releasably retaining the guard in a tubular shape around the plantand which significantly facilitates the assembly of the guard in situ.The zipper type fastener also allows the guard to be readily opened andeasily removed from its position around the plant.

The claims defining the invention are as follows, we claim:
 1. A plantguard for protecting a small plant or sapling during its early growthperiod comprising:a sheet-like panel of flexible material which isadapted to be folded into a tubular shape with opposed edge margins ofsaid panel being adjacent and extending outwardly in the same direction,and releasable fastening means for releasably fastening together saidadjacent edge margins of said panel, said fastening means comprisingopposed, interlockable fastener strips respectively extending along saidedge margins, said fastener strips having identical locking profile ribsfacing each other which interlock with one another to provide areclosable fastener.
 2. A plant guard according to claim 1 wherein eachsaid strip has a pair of flexible spaced-apart locking ribs extendingcontinuously along the length thereof, said ribs each beingapproximately arrow-shaped with a central tip and barbs extendinglaterally to each side of the tip, the barbs of said ribs being ininterlocking engagement when said fastener strips are interlocked.
 3. Aplant guard according to claim 2 wherein each said fastener strip has afirst strip portion secured to an inner surface portion of said paneladjacent a respective said edge margin, and a second strip portionintegral with said first strip portion which projects outwardly fromsaid edge margin, said locking ribs being located on said second stripportion.
 4. A plant guard according to claim 1 wherein each saidfastener strip has a first strip portion secured to an inner surfaceportion of said panel adjacent a respective said edge margin, and asecond strip portion integral with said first strip portion whichprojects outwardly from said edge margin, said locking ribs beinglocated on said second strip portion.
 5. A plant guard according toclaim 1 wherein said fastener strips are formed of extruded plasticsmaterial and are of identical configuration.
 6. A plant guard accordingto claim 5 wherein the panel and said fastener strips are extrudedintegrally with one another.
 7. A plant guard according to claim 1wherein said panel is provided with outwardly projecting flap portionsat the base thereof, each said flap portion being hingedly joined tosaid panel along a hinge line, said flap portions being arranged toprovide a support base.
 8. A plant guard according to claim 1 whereinsaid panel, when folded, is triangularly, square or rectangularlyshaped.
 9. A plant guard according to claim 1 where each said fastenerstrip is secured to the panel by heat welding, stitching or adhesivemeans.
 10. A plant guard according to claim 1 wherein the edge marginsof the panel have portions which converge towards the upper end of thepanel.
 11. A plant guard according to claim 1 further comprising ahinged flap hingedly joined to the upper edge of the panel along a hingeline, said flap, in use, being arranged to fold over and locate around atrellis wire whereby to support the guard in an upright condition.
 12. Aplant guard for protecting a small plant or sapling during its earlygrowth period comprising:a sheet-like panel of flexible material whichis adapted to be folded into a tubular shape, and releasable fasteningmeans for releasably fastening together adjacent edge margins of saidpanel and comprising interlockable resilient flexible fastener stripsrespectively secured to and extending along said edge margins, saidfastener strips having locking profile ribs which interlock with oneanother so as to provide a reclosable fastener, each said strip having apair of flexible spaced-apart locking ribs extending continuously alongthe length thereof, said ribs each being approximately arrow-shaped witha central tip and barbs extending laterally to each side of the tip, thebarbs of said ribs being in interlocking engagement when said fastenerstrips are interlocked.
 13. A plant guard according to claim 12 whereineach said fastener strip has a first strip portion secured to an innersurface portion of said panel adjacent a respective said verticalmargin, and a second strip portion integral with said first stripportion which projects outwardly from said vertical margin, said lockingribs being located on said second strip portion.
 14. A plant guardaccording to claim 12 wherein said fastener strips are formed ofextruded plastics material and are of identical configuration.
 15. Aplant guard according to claim 14 wherein the panel and said fastenerstrips are extruded integrally with one another.
 16. A plant guardaccording to claim 12 wherein said panel is provided with outwardlyprojecting flap portions at the base thereof, each said flap portionbeing hingedly joined to said panel along a hinge line, said flapportions being arranged to provide a support base.
 17. A plant guardaccording to claim 12 wherein said panel, when folded, is triangularly,square or rectangularly shaped.
 18. A plant guard according to claim 12wherein each said fastener strip is secured to the panel by heatwelding, stitching or adhesive means.
 19. A plant guard according toclaim 12 wherein the edge margins of the panel have portions whichconverge towards the upper end of the panel (when the panel isunfolded).
 20. A plant guard according to claim 12 further comprising ahinged flap hingedly joined to the upper edge of the panel along a hingeline, said flap, in use, being arranged to fold over and locate around atrellis wire whereby to support the guard in an upright condition.
 21. Aplant guard according to or claim 12 wherein each said fastener striphas a first strip portion secured to an inner surface portion of saidpanel adjacent a respective said vertical margin, and a second stripportion integral with said first strip portion which projects outwardlyfrom said vertical margin, said locking ribs being located on saidsecond strip portion.
 22. A plant guard for protecting a small plant orsapling during its early growth period comprising:a sheet-like panel offlexible material which is adapted to be folded into a tubular shape,and releasable fastening means for releasably fastening togetheradjacent vertical margins of said panel and comprising interlockableresilient flexible fastener strips respectively secured to and extendingalong said vertical margins, said fastener strips having locking profileribs which interlock with one another so as to provide a reclosablefastener, each said fastener strip having a first strip portion securedto an inner surface portion of said panel adjacent a respective saidvertical margin, and a second strip portion integral with said firststrip portion which projects outwardly from said vertical margin, saidlocking ribs being located on said second strip portion.
 23. A plantguard for protecting a small plant or sapling during its early growthperiod comprising:a sheet-like panel of flexible material which isadapted to be folded into a tubular shape, and releasable fasteningmeans for releasably fastening together adjacent vertical margins ofsaid panel and comprising interlockable resilient flexible fastenerstrips respectively secured to and extending along said verticalmargins, said fastener strips having locking profile ribs whichinterlock with one another so as to provide a reclosable essentiallyzip-type fastener, said fastener strips being formed of extrudedplastics material and of identical configuration.
 24. A plant guard forprotecting a small plant or sapling during its early growth periodcomprising:a sheet-like panel of flexible material which is adapted tobe folded into a tubular, releasable fastening means for releasablyfastening together said adjacent vertical margins of said panel andcomprising interlockable resilient flexible fastener strips respectivelysecured to and extending along said vertical margins, said fastenerstrips having locking profile ribs which interlock with one another soas to provide a reclosable essentially zip-type fastener, and said panelbeing provided with outwardly projecting flap portions at the basethereof, each said flap portion being hingedly joined to said panelalong a hinge line, said flap portions being arranged to provide asupport base.